Infosys Science Foundation awards prizes to 6 winners

The global software major's Infosys Science Foundation on Saturday awarded its Infosys Prize 2018 to six winners, including two Indian Institute of Science (IISc) professors.

"The past decade has seen some incredible innovations in scientific research. All the winners have made great strides in their respective fields," said Infosys Science Foundation president K. Dinesh on the occasion.

The winners included IISc professor at its Centre for Nano Science and Engineering Navakanta Bhat in Engineering and Computer Science, professor at IISc's Centre for Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences S.K. Satheesh in Physical Sciences.

The other four winners were Jawaharlal Nehru University's School of Arts & Aesthetics Professor Kavita Singh in Humanities, Tata Institute of Fundamental Research's (TIFR) Biological Sciences Associate Professor Roop Malik in Life Sciences and University of Strasbourg's Institute for Advanced Study Professor Nalini Anantharaman in Mathematical Sciences and University of Chicago Professor Sendhil Mullainathan in Social Sciences.

Collaborative research has been a watchword as individuals from various geographies have come together to ideate and resolve global issues and contribute to academic progress, the Foundation president noted.

The annual prize celebrates the success of the recipients in science and research by recognising their achievements in the six categories of Engineering and Computer Sciences, Humanities, Life Sciences, Mathematical Sciences, Physical Sciences and Social Sciences.

The prize carries a gold medal, a citation and a tax-free purse for Rs 73 lakh.

The winners were selected by a six-member jury of renowned scientists and professors -- Kaushik Basu, Pradeep Khosla, Shrinivas Kulkarni, Amartya Sen, Mriganka Sur and Srinivasa Varadhan.

"Our laureates have achieved milestones in their domains and 2018's winners will raise the bar for science and research over the next decade," said the Foundation.

Set up in 2009 as a not-for-profit organisation by Infosys co-founders N.R. Narayana Murthy, Nanda Nilekani, S. Gopalakrishnan, S.D. Shibulal and Dinesh, the Foundation promotes interest in science and research in the country.